Someone has kept count, and the count is exact. Since that 3 April 2019, the head-to-head reads 17 Gent wins, ten of them in Gent, one in the Belgian Cup. Alongside that, 2 draws and 3 Standard wins, all at Sclessin, their own ground.
The last five Gent – Standard games come down to two numbers: 20 Gent goals, 3 Liège goals.
Nadine went over the table again at the café, chips in hand, and did what she always does: she took the temperature.
More than seven years without a win over there, that’s a disgrace, I’m weighing my words. But three wins at Sclessin in the same stretch, that’s historic, and I’m weighing those words too. Twenty goals shipped in five matches, well, we lacked a bit of luck, but there are positives: they still scored three. Now we take it one game at a time, eh.
The immediate context does nothing to bring the mercury down. On 12 September, Vincent Euvrard’s side lost 4-2 at Westerlo, their first defeat of the season. A week earlier, that same Westerlo had picked up their first win of the campaign by going to Mechelen and winning 0-4. In Nadine’s WhatsApp group, Sunday Devils, that detail was filed under “suspicious”.
Her brother-in-law, who supports the other club, pointed out that three wins in seven years is still three more than none. Nadine replied that the run gets decided on Saturday, not on a phone.
Kick-off Saturday, matchday 7, at the Ghelamco Arena.
It’s true, we checked: RTBF Sport.
